Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 871 - 870 Innately Talented
Chapter 871: 870 Innately Talented
Deadlock, stalemate, confrontation—
“Li Wei vs. Donald 1.0,” ultimately concluded with the Kansas City Chiefs’ field goal.
Although Li Wei exploded with a complete breakout performance, shattering the balance with unmatched feats; Donald followed closely behind, relentlessly dragging the game out.
At the very least, he didn’t let Li Wei gallop ahead uninhibited, rushing through to claim a touchdown in one swift motion.
Li Wei glanced at Donald.
Donald looked back at Li Wei.
Li Wei applauded Donald; his recent performance commanded respect.
Soon after, Li Wei withdrew his gaze, mentally preparing himself for the next play.
Donald similarly turned away and high-fived both Goff and Gurley, attempting to pass his energy onto the offensive group to inspire a rebound.
Earlier, though neither team scored, at least the Kansas City Chiefs managed to secure initial drives and maintain momentum; while the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive group utterly lost their rhythm, with both Goff and Gurley underperforming.
With the same scoreless outcome, the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive group found itself in deeper trouble.
Now that Li Wei had made the first move, the Los Angeles Rams must catch up, or else…
No “or else.” They had no other choice—raising their spirits was the only path forward.
After motivating the offensive group, Donald stole another look at Li Wei:
Li Wei was different today.
Donald’s assessment was accurate—Li Wei had come prepared.
Ever since their matchup in Week 11 of the regular season, Li Wei had been anticipating another face-off with Donald.
To be precise, both Watt and Donald—two of the league’s top defensive players over the past five years—had caught Li Wei’s attention. With Clark’s assistance, Li Wei dived deep into studying them.
This was Li Wei’s own research project, completed during his leisure time.
Watt, Defensive End.
Donald, Defensive Tackle.
From a tactical standpoint, their roles differ. Defensive Tackles focus on interior pressure and middle defense, while Defensive Ends specialize in edge rushes and wide-zone defense. Naturally, their skill sets and styles vary.
But the Houston Texans use a “4-3” formation while the Los Angeles Rams deploy a “3-4,” meaning their positioning resembles one another—they both line up outside the defensive line, tasked with pass rushing and run defense.
Thus, they possess similar abilities, yet each boasts individual characteristics.
Their similarity lies in their extraordinary explosiveness and agility, often bulldozing through the offensive line effortlessly; at the same time, both have elite hand and foot techniques, an aspect frequently overlooked when marveling at their physical gifts.
Their differences, however, reveal that Watt is taller and sturdier, standing at 6.4 feet (196 cm) and weighing 288 pounds (132 kg), giving him a beastly presence on the field. Watt leverages his physical dominance to gain the upper hand easily. On the other hand, Donald confronts the offensive line without the advantage of stature and relies on speed, agility, and, of course, power.
Additionally, Watt displays more versatility, excelling as a Defensive End, Defensive Tackle, Cornerback, and Tight End; Donald, however, focuses on mastering his craft as a Defensive Tackle, making his technical prowess an important weapon.
Naturally, these differences are relative terms—when comparing the best of the best, their overall capabilities remain well-rounded with no significant weaknesses.
Watt, three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Donald, two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Their dominance is undeniable; and because of their sheer strength, duels between top players often hinge on subtle details.
Compared to Watt, Donald habitually holds a lower center of gravity, using speed and agility to showcase his flexibility and swift movement.
In summary, Watt is more versatile, while Donald is more focused.
To some extent, one could even claim Donald relies on his “one move” to dominate the league. Why, then, has Donald managed to win Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons?
The answer lies in how overpowering and ferocious his “one move” truly is.
From a tactical perspective, Defensive Tackles are interior defenders, while Defensive Ends operate on the exterior. Generally speaking, interior defenders weigh 30 to 40 pounds more than their exterior counterparts, and while their additional mass provides advantages, it also results in slower speed—a natural disadvantage.
Although interior defenders are closer to the quarterback, exterior defenders benefit from better angles for rushing the passer. Interior defenders often need two or three efficient lateral sliding steps to penetrate the pocket.
By comparison, even if interior defenders position themselves on the exterior side of the offensive guards, the offensive guards and center can use simple sliding steps or jabs to obstruct their path and entangle them in a bull rush.
Furthermore, while exterior defenders often face symbolic double-teams from Tight Ends or running backs, interior rushers frequently contend with two or even three blockers.
As such, achieving standout sack numbers as an interior defender is an uphill battle.
The last time an interior defender ranked in the top three for sack data during a season dates back to 2000. Eighteen years have passed, and no Defensive Tackle has broken through. In other words, the twenty-first century has yet to produce an interior defender with elite pass-rushing capability.
In recent years, top Defensive Tackles often focus on run defense or becoming balanced defenders with solid contributions against both the pass and the run, but their pass-rushing skills rarely match those of Defensive Ends.
Then came Donald.
This season, Donald led the league with 20.5 sacks, far ahead of Watt’s 16 sacks. This not only made Donald the twelfth player in history to record 20 sacks in a single season but also marked him as the first-ever interior defender to achieve such a feat, making history.
All this, thanks to his “one move”; when that move reaches such heights, even an ordinary punch can land a man atop the pyramid.
Donald’s build and physical talents define his uniqueness. His shorter stature—he’s smaller than many Cornerbacks—allows him to maintain a low center of gravity. In battles against the offensive line, he avoids losing his balance; instead, he actively lowers his stance, forcing the offensive line to retreat repeatedly.
Moreover, Donald’s lightweight frame earned him the “undersized Defensive Tackle” label during the draft, but it ensured his agility. The combination of speed and explosiveness makes his “first step” unrivaled.
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at ƒrēenovelkiss.com Only.
That is, his first reaction after the snap.
Donald relies on the fusion of low center of gravity, speed, and strength to take that first step, initiating a bull rush—a seemingly simple move that serves as the foundation of his remarkable success.
One bull rush, creating mismatches in shoulder-to-shoulder clashes, converting into lane disruptions, and achieving breakthroughs; supplemented by arm strength, technique, tackling mechanics, and other technical aspects, few offensive lines in the league can withstand Donald’s first-step bull rush.
This dominant display enabled Donald to shine during his Week 11 regular season matchup against Li Wei and Mahomes, leaving no doubt in his annihilation of the opposition.
